Have a favorite trail recipe or technique you'd like to share? Please do! We also like reviews of various trail food products out there. The Backcountry Food Topix forum is the place to discuss all things related to food and nourishment while in the Sierra wilderness (as well as favorite trail head eateries).

We used to use dry bags when running whitewater camping trips. The dry bags always kept things dry if a canoe capsized, but there is a big difference between floating on top of the water for a couple of minutes in an upside down canoe and in sitting underwater all night in a weighted bag. And the deeper you go, the greater the pressure trying to force the water in. I would be weary of using a whitewater runner's dry bag and I don't know anything about waterproof bags that scuba divers might use.

I also am of the opinion that a bear may still be able to smell the food and simply fish it right out of the water.

Some friends of mine were out doing one section of the JMT, and I knew where they would spend the first night away from their resupply point. So, I hiked in there ahead of them with my own stuff including twenty pounds of wine and beer. I got to the spot early, but then I wanted to backtrack on the trail to keep an eye out for them. I needed to do something with the wine and beer, so I sank it in the river. It was all sealed and in plastic bags, but there was enough residual air inside that it was very difficult to keep it sunken. However, I solved that by placing one end of a log on top.
The friends showed up an hour later, and they were quite amazed to see the wine and beer, already chilled. They were going to continue on the trail, so I packed out the empty containers.

I hiked in there ahead of them with my own stuff including twenty pounds of wine and beer. The friends showed up an hour later, and they were quite amazed to see the wine and beer, already chilled. They were going to continue on the trail, so I packed out the empty containers.

That was back in 1979. Back in those days lots of backpackers were carrying extremely heavy loads. The strong men were carrying 60-70 pounds, and even the petite women were carrying 45 pounds. So, I knew that they were not going to have any extra carrying capacity for alcohol. As I recall, it was one wine-in-a-box thing plus a twelve-pack of beer. I heard no complaints.

I've done it with small amounts of food, but would not recommend others do so because I don't expect the average person would do so intelligently. Like might just use Ziplock type plastic bags and end up with wet food. Or would not understand how some seemingly sealed bags like Ziplock's are far from truly sealed so bears would smell whatever out. Or would place the bag in locations easily visible from shore that critters would find. Or the food bag would float up loose due to daily variations in stream flows versus the time of day someone plunked it into water. Do I think I can do so effectively. Yes but don't plan to do so because a canister etc is easier.

Do I think a bear can smell what is inside a sealed plastic bag or can? Of course not. (: But a bear might smell the outside of such containers if handled and are obviously visually aware of human packaged products. That is why some have bitten into fuel bottles only to experience unpleasant contents. I also expect authorities and advocates to roundly condemn any method of keeping human food away from bears except by use of authorized hard bear canisters. And that includes continuing to block use of Ursack's that I often use in areas hard canisters are not required. Note I own 4 hard canisters.

On some of my shorter trips (overnighters or 3 days), I've sunk perishables (bacon, eggs, steaks, cheese, veggies, etc.) in a mesh bag weighted down with a rock or two. But the reason was to keep them cool, not keep them away from a bear. Never had any issues except my brother not securing the bag to something on the shore one time. Don't worry, it was retrieved.

Once in a while you can get shown the light
In the strangest places if you look at it right.